Breathe
by Lizzie9
Summary: A robbery gone wrong, and an OR full of hostages to exchange. Twelve men, twelve guns, a deadly explosive. Nine doctor's lives hang in the balance. This is the night that defines who they are, to themselves and to each other. MD, other pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Breathe**

**Authors: Sara And Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, mild sex**

**Disclaimer: It would be nice to own grey's anatomy, sadly all we own are a lot of high priced shoes and handbags, and both seasons on dvd.**

**Summary: A month or so after Meredith's near death experience, tragedy strikes Seattle Grace again in the form of a robbery gone wrong. A hostage situation takes place in the OR. Nine lives hang in the balance as they wait to live, die, or just get blown up. **

**Author's Note: We needed another suspense drama. Angst is good. Weddings are good. Fun is good. But nothing beats a good, old fashioned hostage crisis. You guys are always supportive and awesome, so we're counting on many reviews to make us feel good. **

Meredith and Derek strolled hand in hand into Seattle Grace. Despite all of Cristina's horror, they were happy. It had something to do with the near death experience from a month and a half ago. Facing your own death sort of has a way of strengthening your bond with the guy you loved. It was morning, and the hand that wasn't attached held coffee. They looked at each other as they walked in, chatting causing everyone in their path who knew them to roll their eyes.

Meredith wrinkled her nose as they waited for the elevator. "It's so quiet in here today." She said. Derek gave her a look. She rolled her eyes. "Sorry. It's less busy than it was yesterday, Mr. Superstitious."

"Don't say quiet." He said, smiling. He looked around. It was less busy, compared to the other four days this week when there had been a research convention. The lab next to one of the OR's was completely filled with the end works of the high caliber researchers who had taken over the hospital. "The merry band of researchers have left the building."

Meredith smirked at him. "Was that supposed to be witty, Dr. Shepherd?"

"I see you laughing Mer." He said, pulling her into the elevator. He pushed her gently up against a wall and kissed her, slipping his tongue into her mouth. When they finally broke apart, she touched a hand to her swollen lips.

"Cause you haven't done that in about two hours." She murmured, referring to the sex they'd had that morning. "Must you always get me all hot and bothered at work?" she asked. He smiled, nodded and kissed her again. The elevator door opened and Addison walked in.

"Well, that is a visual I like to start my morning with." She said dryly. Meredith and Derek broke apart sheepishly, and Addison watched as Derek laced his fingers through hers again. Addison cleared her throat. "It's quiet around here today." She said to break the silence, and to shake the feeling that they would still be making out like teenagers if she hadn't gotten into the car.

Meredith smirked at Derek who turned his eyes to Addison. "Seriously?" he asked. "You want to say quiet?" Addison rolled her eyes.

"Don't be so superstitious Derek. It's bad juju."

The doors opened again, and Mark stepped on, giving Addison a smoldering look. "Juju." He said, pleasantly. "I sort of miss juju. Sucks that someone has to die for juju. Someone died already? Is that why it's so quiet in here?" Derek rolled his eyes and gave in.

"Fine." He said. "It's dead quiet." He winced as the words left his mouth. Meredith smiled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. The elevator opened and Derek and Meredith flashed smiles at Addison and Mark and exited. Mark looked at Addison.

"Forty three days." He said proudly. Addison smiled in spite of herself and walked off the elevator with him.

* * *

The day was normal. Despite all of Derek's fears that hell would break use because of the word quiet, the hospital was just quiet. No emergencies, no interns in need of rescue. Even his intern wasn't in need of rescue, which was a foreign, but welcome concept to him. Meredith had surprised him since that moment her heart had started beating again. She was living now, really living.

He was needed on a consult, and he had a lot of post op patients to check on, but other than that, there was nothing. The board was quiet. Bailey and the chief were in surgery. He looked around and spotted Izzie and George talking quickly and animatedly about something. Derek frowned, and wished he could say something. He practically lived with Izzie; it would be nice if he could talk to them. Meredith, Alex and Cristina joined them, as did Burke, so he wandered over. Addison strolled up to them and hand them all envelopes, and it didn't surprise Derek to see Mark right behind her.

He made his way over to them, and out of habit, placed his hand on Meredith's chest, the left side. She covered his hand with hers. "It's still beating Derek." She said, half amused, half serious. He nodded and intertwined their fingers briefly, before letting go. He knew her heart was beating; she was standing, talking, of course it was. But he liked to feel it.

Addison handed him an envelope. "Having a gala?" he asked her, feeling the heavy paper and looking at the fancy script. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I am, actually. In my hotel room." He continued to look at her questioningly. She sighed. "Richard asked me to give these to you. Hospital charity thing. Black tie. Next month. Attendance is not optional."

A collective groan rose from the interns. George started talking. "Last year at this time, we had to go to a prom." He lamented. "Now it's a real live charity thing."

"George…." Meredith said lowly.

"At least things have changed since then. Maybe this one won't be so…"

"George!" Meredith said again. He looked around the group of them and blushed.

"Oh." He said flatly. Meredith snuck a glance at Addison. It was painfully obvious to anyone that Derek and Addison were not together, but Meredith and Derek were. But since the day she saw Addison crying in the closet, they hadn't mentioned prom, or the cheating or anything that wasn't neutral, really. She had too much respect for Addison to throw it in her face like that. "Sorry." George said sheepishly.

"It's okay." Addison said to him. She looked at Meredith and Derek. "It's okay." The silence was excruciating. Meredith wracked her brain for something to say.

"Cristina, I'm gonna need to borrow a dress." She blurted out, cursing herself for not getting off the subject of this year's prom. Cristina rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you just go buy one?" she asked.

Meredith's eye widened. "I don't know stuff about dresses!" she protested. Addison smiled in spite of herself and found she was directing her gaze to Meredith once again.

"I have one that would good on you." She said quietly. "It's emerald. It would bring out your eyes." Meredith stared at her. "I mean, you don't have to, but you can try it on, if you want."

Meredith cleared her throat. "Okay. Um, thank you, Addison."

"You're welcome."

* * *

Seven o'clock rolled around, and everyone was talking about going to Joe's, but Callie was on a mission. She couldn't seem to find her scrub cap anywhere. She might have left it in the OR yesterday. She trudged through the hall way and walked straight to the OR where she'd been in surgery. It was set away from the other operating rooms, and it had new windows, since it had gotten blown up last year. She sighed and walked inside, looking down at the floor.

Before she could see any tell tale scrap of blue fabric, she felt something jam into her back. Something cold and hard. She stood up straight and someone clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Hello, there, doll face." Said a tall, brown haired man. He waved a gun in her face and repositioned it at her temple. "Easy way or hard way, what's it going to be?"

Callie was too shocked to respond. "Well, you're not struggling or attempting to knee me in the groin, so I'll assume you've chosen the easy way. Smart girl. Now I see you have a pager attached to your waistband. I'd like you to page a few friends. We need some company."

Numbly, Callie shook her head. "No?" The man asked, taking the safety switch off of the gun. Callie swallowed hard and reached for her pager. She sent out the pages and one by one, George, Addison, Mark, Derek, Meredith, Alex, Izzie, Cristina and Burke arrived. They all gathered outside the OR. It was locked from the outside.

Burke frowned and reached forward to unlock it, pushing the door open and going inside. They filed inside after him. "Callie, what is it?" George asked, going to her. The door slammed shut behind Meredith and locked. She spun around to see half a dozen or so masked figures carrying guns outside.

There was a noise from inside the room as a man stepped out of the shadows and raised a walkie talkie to his lips. "Go." He said into it. He brandished a gun. "All of you, on the floor."

Alex pulled Izzie down next to him, as Meredith and Derek slid against a wall next to Mark and Addison. Cristina and Burke sat together, as well as George and Callie. The brown haired guy looked around. "Well this is cute." He said. "But I'm afraid all of these couples won't work." His eyes landed on Izzie. "You. Boyfriend?" he asked, pointing the gun at Alex. Izzie shook her head numbly. "Interesting." Izzie turned huge, terrified eyes to George, and the man followed her gaze. "Fine. He'll choose."

"What?" George squeaked.

The man laughed. "Blondie over her obviously means something to you, but this helpful young lady is obviously your wife, judging by the rings. One of them gets to leave, which really increases her odds of getting out of here alive. So who's it going to be?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Breathe**

**Authors: Sara And Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, mild sex**

**Disclaimer: It would be nice to own grey's anatomy, sadly all we own are a lot of high priced shoes and handbags, and both seasons on dvd.**

**Summary: A month or so after Meredith's near death experience, tragedy strikes Seattle Grace again in the form of a robbery gone wrong. A hostage situation takes place in the OR. Nine lives hang in the balance as they wait to live, die, or just get blown up. **

**Author's Note: Let's clear this up right away. "Gimme A Break" left us an anonymous review claiming we pawned this off from General Hospital. Let us say that we wanted to do a hostage story for months now, but haven't known when to set it, how to execute it, etc. When it happened on GH, we were like, that's it. Masked guys storming a room. JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER HOSTAGE SITUATION EVER. **

**We know it's really similar now, but there will be differences, and seriously, how many other ways are there to start a hostage crisis? Callie leaving isn't stolen, its necessary for our plot. We have lots of ideas that we needed this story to write. We want Mark to make a heroic gesture for Addie. We want to expose the irrationality of George and Izzie. We want Meredith to tell Derek that not even death can tear them apart. Hostages, duh!**

**The purpose of this story is that things are shaky in the GA universe right now, and this tragedy isn't just Meredith, it's all of them, and this night that they spend in there is going to be a really definitive night for all of their relationships, not just romantically, but with each other as people. So if you have a problem with us openly acknowledging we didn't dream all of this up, don't read it. **

**For the other 54 of you who reviewed and liked it, thank you so much. We were BLOWN AWAY by the response to the first chapter. We hope you keep reading and reviewing. **

_Peacekeeper don't tell why, don't be afraid to fight._

George looked back and forth between the two women. Callie was his wife. Till death do us part and all that. But Izzie was his best friend. She had been there long before Callie. George wanted this marriage to work. He wanted it to be something more than a stupid, impulsive thing he'd done because his father died and he had needed to feel alive.

He wanted it to work, but only time would tell if it would. And God knows if it didn't he was going to need Izzie. He turned away from Callie to look at his friend. George swallowed hard. He had to be honest with himself. This was selfish, but if he had to chose, he was going to chose the one he needed to get him through this. And that one, the one he needed in the room, was Izzie.

"Enough hesitating." Their captor snapped. Izzie met George's eyes and squeezed her own eyes shut. She gripped Alex's hand tightly and shook her head at George. He nodded slowly. "Callie." He said, pointing at his wife. "I want Callie to be the one who goes out." Callie looked back and forth between George and Izzie.

"We don't have all day, doll face." He said. "In or out?" Callie stood and with one last look at George, she left the OR. The gravity of the situation hit her as she ran to the elevators. Two people were standing in front of them, guns in hand. Callie went to the stairs, noticing vaguely that the entire floor was deserted. When she burst through the doors onto the floor below her, she was met by the chief and Bailey and the surgical staff that had previously occupied the floor above.

"Torres, what the hell is going on?" Richard asked.

Callie shook her head. "Call the police." She told him. Walking numbly to the closest chair and sinking down in it. That look George had given Izzie. It wasn't a look that said I want o ensure the safety of my wife, it was a look that said you're the one I need to get through this. Callie felt tears prickling at the back of her eyes, because she knew now. It was true, it was clear, it was undeniable. She was never going to be first in George's life. He could use her full name and shout at Izzie and Cristina, but she still wasn't first.

They were a family, those five interns. And she didn't fit into that family. The irony was, that since their wedding, she was George's actual family, but he didn't see it that way. She was a newcomer, she didn't have that connection to them, she didn't have the history. The five of them, even Alex, they would always be something special, something set apart from her. She would always be second to them, and Callie, for the first time, acknowledged to herself that second wasn't enough.

* * *

Derek pulled Meredith close to him, wrapped an arm around her and slipped his hand under Meredith's scrub top, and to that perfect place above her left breast where he could feel her heart beat lightly against his hand. She looked at him, but he didn't move his hand. It reassured him. Her heart was still beating. She was still breathing. That was all any of them had to do. Still be breathing whenever they got out of here.

Derek looked around him at the people who had become his friends, his life. The most important person to him was the one he held close, not daring to let her go. Burke and Cristina were huddled together on the other side of Meredith, and on the other side of Derek was Addison, knees drawn to her chest, Mark's left leg pressed against her right one. On Mark's other side were Alex, Izzie and finally George. Had they been sitting against a wall like this for any other reason, Derek would have laughed.

Their captor looked down at them. "Henry Montcalm." He said, pointing to himself. "Who has a phone?" Mark produced his first. "Fine." Montcalm said. "Call whoever is in charge." He commanding in an accent no one could identify. He smirked. "Call your chief." Mark dialed the number of the nurse's station on the floor below them.

"It's Dr. Sloan." He said. "Put Richard on the phone. Now." Olivia punched the speaker button.

"Chief? It's Mark Sloan." She said. Dr. Webber and several police officers gathered around the phone.

"Mark?" Webber asked. "Are you all okay?"

"We're fine chief." Mark said. Montcalm gestured for the phone and Mark handed it over wordlessly.

"This is what I want." Montcalm said. "I want specimen number 435 developed by the research team stationed here last week. I want all of it. You will deliver it to the black Range Rover sitting outside in the handicapped parking space."

"And if we don't?" One of the police officers asked. Montcalm reached into a black duffel bag that was sitting on the floor. He extracted an electronic device on the floor, and pressed a button on the top. A ten flashed on it's digital screen, and starting counting backwards.

"You have ten hours until this OR explodes. The only way to save the nine doctors inside is to give me the entire specimen. It's your choice." Hanging up the phone and throwing it at Mark. He shrugged at the row of doctors sitting against the wall looking stricken. "You can keep your phones. Call your chief. Beg for your lives. My men are guarding every entrance so getting in or out without my permission is impossible. You might live if the bomb goes off. You might not." He opened the door and stepped outside. "Have a nice night doctors." Meredith stared at the door long after he left. She had a strange feeling creeping through her body. It put a gross unease in her bones and made her feel shaky. She looked from the windows to the heavy table in the middle of the OR. Her eyes widened in panic and when she locked eyes with Burke over Cristina's head, she knew her fears were right.

Months ago, she had walked out of this very OR with a bomb in her hand. Because the main oxygen line was flowing right under the floor. Now, there was another bomb in the room. One that she couldn't stop from going off by handing it to Dylan. Her breath came in rapid, uneven puffs as the reality set in. She couldn't tear her eyes from Burke, and he didn't look away either. They were gauging everyone, trying to decide if they should share of suffer in silence. "Mer, what is it?" Derek asked. He looked at Burke who was looking at Meredith. "What's going on?" he asked.

Meredith swallowed hard. "This OR…" she said. She looked uncertainly up at Burke who opened his mouth and Meredith shook her head. She would be the one to tell them this. She could be this strong. "We left it with the bomb. We left because the main oxygen tank runs under this OR."

Addison shut her eyes. "So you're saying that if that bomb explodes, the oxygen line is going to blow up."

"That's what I'm saying."

"So if that bomb explodes we're all going to die."

"Well that's a fantastic attitude, Addison." Derek snapped, tightening his grip on Meredith. Addison didn't want to say anything that would hurt either of them, but the fear was getting to her, and it was making her mean.

"We know you're sensitive about death, Derek." She said, her voice taking on the bitchy undertone it always did when she got scared or anxious. Meredith closed her eyes and laced her fingers through Derek's and squeezed his hand reassuringly, but it didn't help. He turned to Addison with murder in his eyes.

"Oh, that was great Addison. Fantastic, really. Please, keep talking." He said sarcastically. Meredith both loved and hated when someone said something about her that elicited this reaction from him. She loved hearing him defend her. But she hated the sheepish, apologetic glances she had to shoot at them, much like the one she was now giving Addison.

"Derek, it's okay." She said, placing her other hand on his arm. "I'm here, I'm breathing. It's okay." Addison rolled her eyes. She was okay with this. She really was. She knew that Derek loved Meredith in a way he'd never loved her and she was friendly with both of them, but this protective streak Derek had for Meredith, it irritated her. So she sighed and turned away from them.

"You didn't have to talk to her like that." Mark said to Derek.

"Oh shut up, Mark." Derek fired back. "You shouldn't even be here."

"Derek…" Burke said warningly.

"What, he was there for me last month? You think that changes anything?"

"Dude, maybe it should." Alex piped up. Derek looked at him, ready to snap.

"Alex, just don't." Meredith said. "Look, we're all scared…."

"Please, Grey." Addison snapped bitterly.

Izzie stood up and looked at them all. "Seriously?" she yelled. "Are you people freaking kidding me? We're stuck in a room with a bomb, and all you can do is bicker?" Everyone stared at her. "I don't know what we're going to do, or how we're going to get out here, but I do know that you all acting like right year olds on the playground is not going to help! So say something nice or don't say anything at all!"

She sat down, fuming, and everyone lapsed into silence.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Breathe**

**Authors: Sara And Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, mild sex**

**Disclaimer: It would be nice to own grey's anatomy, sadly all we own are a lot of high priced shoes and handbags, and both seasons on dvd.**

**Summary: A month or so after Meredith's near death experience, tragedy strikes Seattle Grace again in the form of a robbery gone wrong. A hostage situation takes place in the OR. Nine lives hang in the balance as they wait to live, die, or just get blown up. **

**Author's Note: Okay. So now we start to get into two things: 1) how this happened and 2) thats its not just a mission impossible three type action story, there is some serious character development going on here. This is going to change them all, put everyone at peace with who they are. **

**Are email alerts down? Cause we havent gotten any emails, and the reviews have been waaaaay down. So uhh...**

**REVIEW.**

_If you've ever heard that silence, it's a god awful sound._

The team of scientists still left in Seattle were gathered in a conference room at Seattle Grace. The rest of the space was filled police officers. The National Guard was on their way, and the Chief and Bailey stood at the front of the room. As Bailey shot sidelong glances at Richard, she was reminded why he was the chief of surgery.

He stood at the helm, commanding attention, exuding power. It was a welcome change. He had seemed different lately; tentative and unsure. But now, in the face of this crisis, staring down the barrel of a gun that could bring tragic ends, she saw the side of Richard Webber that made him chief. He looked at the researchers. "By now the police have briefed you on the situation." He said seriously, in a tone that allowed no one to question his authority. "The report on specimen 435 is extremely vague." Several of the researchers shifted uncomfortably.

"Nine members of my surgical team, many of which are near and dear to my heart, are in that room. You will give me answers. You will tell me and the police everything we need to know. There are no options. There is no room for secrecy. Start talking." Richard stood back, for the first time in a long time, feeling like the Chief Of Surgery. He eyed them all, compelling them to speak.

* * *

Silence, all consuming, crushing silence took over the OR. The nine of them sat against a wall, in silence. "We should call Richard." Burke finally said. "Have him turn off the oxygen." Addison pulled her knees to her chest and dropped her head into her hands.

"What's the point? It's not going to help us if that thing blows up!" Mark leaned down closer to her and enclosed one of her hands with his.

"Hey." He whispered into her ear. "You can get through this. _We_ can get through this." Addison didn't move, or give any indication she had heard him at all, but she let him hold her hand, and his reassurance madder her feel just a little bit better.

Burke shook his head and pulled his phone away from his ear. "He's not answering. I'm sure there's a lot going on." Cristina let her head fall back against the wall, and Burke took her hand in an understated, but caring gesture. She didn't look anywhere but up, masking her fear with indifference. Down the row of surgeons, George shrugged.

"We could look on the bright side…" he suggested trailing off.

Addison lifted her head off of her legs. "Shut up, O' Malley." She snapped meanly.

"Don't talk to him like that." Izzie shot back.

"Both of you." Alex said, "Should shut up." They lapsed back into silence. Meredith thought she was going to go crazy. Of course she wasn't wearing a watch, and her phone was in her locker, so naturally, she didn't know what time it was. She didn't know how long they sat there, in excruciating silence.

Her only comfort was that she knew Derek could hear every breath she was taking, and she knew that would make him less afraid. He was never afraid for himself. He was always afraid for her. Sometimes Meredith couldn't believe that he had jumped in that water for her. She shifted so she was a little closer to him and let her head drop on his shoulder. He kissed her hair, and brought a hand up to stroke it quietly. In the silence, Meredith heard Addison suck in a breath. She pulled away from Derek entirely, feeling cold the second his arm was no longer wrapped around her.

Derek shook his head. "No." he said softly. He turned to Addison. "You don't get to do that. You don't get to act all hurt and pained. I know this is hard for you, Addison, but she's scared too. She's not going to sit five feet away from me and shiver because you can't handle it." Meredith closed her eyes. Was it really just this morning it seemed like she and Addison were making progress? Now she felt constantly caught between wanting to be a normal couple, and not wanting to hurt her.

"Derek, it's okay." She said. "I'm fine. We don't need to…" She trailed off hesitantly.

"Rub it in my face?" Addison suggested. Meredith's cheeks flushed.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, feeling like she had run around this circle before. Addison sighed. She didn't want to have this fight. She wanted to be able to watch them and feel nothing but happy that her ex husband was so happy, but she couldn't. She still got distinct pains every time. And every time Meredith apologized to her, or looked guilty, Addison felt immature and meaningless in their lives. She had nothing to say, so she just turned her back and waved her hand at Derek.

He frowned, but reached for Meredith anyway. Gratefully, she scooted back towards him, and positioned herself between his legs, settling back into his chest and locking both of her hands with his.

"Well that was awkward." Cristina said.

"Too soon for jokes, Yang." Mark said quietly. Meredith knew what was coming next. Silence.

* * *

Meredith's body had become heavier against his, and her breathing had deepened. She had fallen into a gentle sleep, and Derek was glad for that. He didn't want her to be afraid. He checked his watch. Nine hours left. He bit his lip and looked down at Meredith, cradling her body a little closer. He would die before her let her blow up in here.

He was trying desperately not to show it, but he was terrified. There was a reason they wanted that specimen, and the reason was unclear to him, but he knew it was serious. He also knew that they did need to get out of there. And the thing that killed him was that he couldn't do a thing to get them out of here. He felt the same helplessness wash over him that he had felt when the chief kicked him out of Meredith's trauma room. He knew then that he couldn't save her, and he was starting to feel like he wouldn't be able to save her now.

He felt her stir in his lap. She twisted and smiled up at him. "Hi." She whispered. "Was I sleeping?" He smiled in spite of himself.

"You were sleeping." She snuggled back into his chest and shrugged. "I am so glad I peed right before I answered that page." She said, louder than she intended. Everyone's heads turned toward her. It was silent for another minute, and then the four attendings and five interns all burst out laughing. Izzie's laughter subsided as she realized something.

"I had four cups of coffee today." She commented. "And I haven't peed since…" she frowned. "Since a while ago." Alex snorted into his arm.

"You're lucky there are cup like object on that operating table, Tinkerbell." Cristina quipped. Maybe it was to escape from the reality of the situation. Maybe it was because deep down, they all genuinely liked each other. But they all started laughing again.

* * *

One of the scientists, a woman with ash blonde hair had locked eyes with the chief minutes ago. They were still holding one another's gaze. Finally she cleared her throat and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Everyone who didn't work on the specimen should leave." She said. "I believe that everyone who worked on it is here." She looked around and nodded. Richard eyed her suspiciously. "I'm serious, Dr. Webber, this is a private matter."

Richard exchanged a glance with the Seattle police captain who nodded. "Everyone not involved with the development should go to the cafeteria and have a cup of coffee, but under no circumstances should any of you leave this hospital." Captain Shank said. They filed out of the room, until there were eight people still sitting around the mahogany table.

"That's a start." Bailey murmured to the chief.

The woman, whose visitor badge would identify her Dr. Sharon Hunter, spoke again. "Really, Dr. Webber, you don't want any more people to hear this information than is absolutely necessary." She said, shooting a meaningful look at Bailey. The chief's eyes flashed.

"Dr. Hunter, please. Don't think because you were the first one to realize you didn't want these people blood on your hands you can have the audacity to try and kick my Chief Resident out of this room." Bailey blinked twice at the words chief resident. She hadn't known that decision was anywhere close to being made, but hearing the title bestowed on her, even so informally filled her with pride.

Sharon looked down and then back up at them. "I'm sorry. I don't meant to be disrespectful, but really, this is very sensitive." Bailey stared at her.

"I assure you, Dr. Hunter, that I can handle anything, no matter how _sensitive_ it may be. Perhaps you can tell the chief what is so damn sensitive. I'd appreciate it if you fools would stop beating around the bush, because every single one of my surgery hungry suck up interns are in that room, and if I don't see them all alive come morning, I'll be coming after you."

Sharon took a deep breath, preparing to divulge the secret she had sworn to take to her grave. It shouldn't be such a big deal. Someone else had already given away the secret, and she had to follow in their footsteps to right the wrong they had created, but still, it wasn't easy. "Sharon, don't!" Dr. Owen Barbon snapped at her. "We can't. You know this."

Sharon looked around at them. Of the eight people that had been involved in the creation of 435, she was the only woman. They all thought she was weak, not as strong as they were, but really, she was the only one strong enough to tell the truth. "We have to tell them." She stressed, looking at her colleagues. "Those people are going to die. Nine people. Derek Shepherd is in that room. Preston Burke is in that room. Addison Montgomery and Mark Sloan. Ellis Grey's daughter is in that room. You know how many people would suffer without their talents. We created a monster. I won't let that monster destroy lives." She said.

"We made a pact!" one of them hissed. "We swore on our lives."

"Someone violated the pact!" Sharon burst out. "Like it or not, one of us told whoever has taken over the surgical floor that the specimen was there. Someone has already done the damage. This isn't violating an agreement. This is saving nine lives. Maybe millions more."

Around the table, faces twisted into shock, as though it hadn't occurred to anyone that someone they had trusted with their secret had sold it to any enemy. Sharon shook her head. She wasn't going to waste anymore time. She looked up. "Dr. Webber, before we say anything, someone should call the Department Of Homeland Security. Counter terrorism units. I have a feeling we're going to need them."

**Fireworks. Keeping The Faith. Loud And Clear. It Takes A Village. Four McWeddings And A Funeral. Check them out. **

**Review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: Breathe**

**Authors: Sara And Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, mild sex**

**Disclaimer: It would be nice to own grey's anatomy, sadly all we own are a lot of high priced shoes and handbags, and both seasons on dvd.**

**Summary: A month or so after Meredith's near death experience, tragedy strikes Seattle Grace again in the form of a robbery gone wrong. A hostage situation takes place in the OR. Nine lives hang in the balance as they wait to live, die, or just get blown up. **

**Author's Note: Wow. The last time we updated this? Feels like years ago. This particular little story is giving us trouble. Because we have all these things we want to happen, right? But the execution of them is hard. Because we want it to be in character, believable, etc. So bear with us. We're trying to keep the Grey's feel while conveying its a bad situation. So theyre joking because thats what they do.**

**AND REVIEW. **

Detectives Harrison and Norris made their way back into the conference room, with the top agents of the Seattle Homeland Security branch in tow. The tension in the room was palpable, negated only by the sheer power exuded by Chief Webber. Norris watched as the man stood to his full height, impressed at how he commanded attention.

Dr. Hunter cleared her throat. "It was an accident." She said. "We never would have come into your hospital, Dr. Webber and intentionally done this. We didn't realize what we had made until after it was in creation, and we weren't sure if destruction would be safe." Owen Barbon took a sip of water and frowned.

"Richard, I've known you for a long time. Please believe us that we would never put your staff in this danger or you in this position knowingly."

Richard looked at Bailey and sighed in frustration. Their apologies were meaningless to him, because he didn't know what it was they were apologizing for. He put both of his hands in the air, palms facing the research team. "People, under normal circumstances, I would appreciate your apologies, but really, I want to know what the specimen is, who is holding my surgeons hostage and what the hell is going to get them released." He said.

The doctors exchanged uncomfortable looks, none of them speaking. They shifted in their seats ad coughed, or took sips of water. One of the men from Homeland Security stepped forward. "Doctors." He said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ryan Kidman from Homeland Security, Seattle Branch. This is my partner Dianna Wilson. Listen to me when I tell you that my partner here was involved in a little ferry boat crash a few weeks back, and was helped out greatly by one Preston Burke. We really like the people around this hospital." He eyed the doctors sternly.

His partner stepped forward. "Excuse Agent Kidman. He's being polite. What he's trying to say is to start talking, because if this ends badly and you didn't help in every single little way you could, we will charge you with obstruction, reckless endangerment, and possibly, treason against the security of the United States." She crossed her arms. "I'm waiting."

* * *

Inside the OR, the tense silence had dissipated, and small conversations had broken out. They had started moving around the room. They were starting to lapse into some sort of normalcy, despite their dangerous situation. Meredith and Derek were huddled together, talking to Burke and Cristina. Mark was whispering in Addison's ear, George and Izzie were hurriedly muttering apologies and Alex was crumbling the contents of a chart Callie had left behind and shooting them basketball style into a tray he had dumped scalpels out of. 

"George, I'm sorry." Izzie said. "I'm so sorry. I knew that I shouldn't say it, but I couldn't stop myself. What I said to you and what I said to Callie, and I'm sorry, okay? I meant everything I said. But I'm sorry."

George shook his hand and gripped her shoulder. "I'm still mad at you. But I'm not mad right now. If we die in here, I don't want to die mad at you." She made a face at him.

"Wow, real comforting George." She said, giving him wry smile. He smiled back at her and they laughed, like they used to. As Izzie's soft laughter subsided she felt clarity come over her. "You know what George? We're going to make it through this."

He smiled, letting her optimism warm his insides. "How do you know?" he asked.

She shrugged and smiled. "Because we always do." She said simply. "I've been thinking. About God and afterlife, you know? And I don't know what kind of God I believe in George, but I refuse to believe that Denny is nowhere but in the ground. So I know that there is some kind of higher power. And I know he's got a plan for us. And I don't think that plan ends tonight." She said. George nodded, turning it over in his head.

"You know what Iz? That makes a whole lot of sense." He said. "We are going to be okay."

She tucked her knees to her chest and smiled. "That's all I'm saying George." She motioned for Alex to join them and grinned mischievously. "You guys want to get Meredith all flustered and rambling?" she asked.

A few feet down the wall, Meredith and Derek were speaking in hushed tones to Burke and Cristina. Derek and Burke were going over the layout of the floor, trying to think of a way they could get out without getting shot. Meredith had tuned them out. She was tired of talking about almost dying. She was tired of talking about death.

She had almost died. Twice. And George's dad had died. And her mom had died. Denny, Dylan, Liz. They had all died. For the first time in a long time, all she wanted was to live. For a really long time. She could get old with Derek, she knew she could. She didn't care if they were eighty years old and living in his freaking trailer. Meredith sighed. Her father's rejection, her mother's contempt; it didn't seem to matter anymore. She had Derek. And wonderful friends.

Maybe her dance with death was over. The driving too fast, reckless, tequila soaked dance with death was ending. In its wake, she was a better, stronger person. She could feel it. "Stop it." She said to Derek. "Stop talking about dying. We're not going to die. I've got a feeling. And I think we're going to get out of this." Cristina's jaw dropped a little as she shot Meredith a look.

"Okay, who the hell are you, and where's my best friend?" she demanded. Derek looked at Meredith, the calm in her face, the determination, the fire that had returned to her eyes. He smiled down at her and kissed her forehead, praying she was right.

Burke smiled at her too, slinging an arm around Cristina. "You two should come over for dinner next week. With your schedules and Meredith's horrendous cooking ability, I'm sure you could use a break from take out." He said.

Derek and Meredith exchanged a look. "Will you two be speaking this time?" Derek asked Cristina and Burke. Meredith laughed to herself, and Cristina scowled.

"Shut up, Shepherd." She muttered.

"Hey Mer?" Izzie called sweetly. "Would you say Derek is the best sex you've ever had?" Meredith's eyes widened and she started coughing in surprise.

"Uh," she stammered, shooting nervous glances at Addison. "Well, um, yes?" she responded tentatively. "He's uh, pretty phenomenal. I mean not that I'm saying that's why I'm with him, because uh, he kind of pulled me out of sound, and there's that whole adultery issue, so its more than just the um, sex, but, yeah, he's really good." She said quickly, blushing.

Izzie snorted into her sleeve, her eyes tearing with the laughter she held back. "See, I told you she'd get all flustered." She said. Alex grinned.

"Dr, Montgomery." He said, tearing Addison's eyes away from Mark. "Same question."

* * *

Callie sat outside the conference room with a cup of coffee in her hand. She felt like crawling out of her skin. Stir crazy, her mother had called it. Callie stood up and started walking, letting the movement in her legs comfort her. Even though she walked aimlessly, merely moving made her feel better. 

In wondering what was going to happen and hating the fact she didn't know, she didn't realize her feet were carrying her to the bridge. As she looked out the giant windows at Seattle, the thought entered her mind the first time that she didn't need to stay here and be second best. She allowed herself for the first time to entertain the tantalizing yet forbidden thought that she could leave, and be the best to someone else.

Her pager went off, causing her to jump, and push the thoughts out of her mind. Callie hurried back to the conference room to find two men in suits waiting outside. "Callie O'Malley?" one asked her, not smiling even slightly at the rhyme. She nodded, and they introduced themselves as agents. "Homeland security. We need you to come with us." She nodded and followed them to another empty room.

"We've compiled a list of everyone on our alert list who we know to be on the West Coast. We need you to go through a voice recognition test, can you do that?"

"Of course I can do that." Callie snapped, annoyed. She was an orthopedic surgeon, for God's sake. She could listen to voices on tape. They exchanged a glance and started up a computer. After what felt like a years, she finally heard the voice that belonged to the body that held the gun to her head. "That's it." She said. "That's the guy. I'm positive."

One of the agents hit the table with his palm. "Shit, that's Montcalm." He said. "I know he was planning something huge."

His partner blinked at him. "And this is big? What the hell is Montcalm doing in a hospital with nine surgeons? Montcalm is a high roller. He's a big player. This is not something big."

Callie looked up. "Can I go now?" she asked quietly. They nodded at her and mumbled thanks, rising to take their findings to the conference room.

* * *

"Karev." Addison snapped. "You can't seriously think that I'm going to answer that question." Alex grinned and shrugged. 

"Don't get your panties in a twist. I didn't."

Izzie smiled. "We're playing a game, where we say embarrassing things to people and trying to guess their reactions."

Addison's jaw dropped. "Seriously?" she demanded. "In this situation, that's all you can do?"

Alex and George looked down sheepishly, but Izzie just shrugged. "We're not thinking about it. In this corner, we have decided to be positive." She said.

Cristina reached out and pushed Meredith's shoulder. "Mer, you should head over to that corner." She looked at Izzie and George. "Even Mer thinks we're going to be okay."

"Seriously?" Izzie asked.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Meredith demanded. She turned to Derek. "Is that so freaking hard to believe?" He shook his head, then mouthed 'yes' to Burke behind her head.

"I saw that." She muttered.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: Breathe**

**Authors: Sara And Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, mild sex**

**Disclaimer: It would be nice to own grey's anatomy, sadly all we own are a lot of high priced shoes and handbags, and both seasons on dvd.**

**Summary: A month or so after Meredith's near death experience, tragedy strikes Seattle Grace again in the form of a robbery gone wrong. A hostage situation takes place in the OR. Nine lives hang in the balance as they wait to live, die, or just get blown up. **

**Author's Note: Wow. The last time we updated this? Feels like years ago. This particular little story is giving us trouble. Because we have all these things we want to happen, right? But the execution of them is hard. Because we want it to be in character, believable, etc. So bear with us. **

**So a terrorist has taken the hostage, the evil villian who helped him rears his head, and the doctors each say one thing to one person. Focus on the doctors, theyre facing the reality they might die, despite their hope. So they decide theyre all going to say one thing to one person, in case they dont have a chance to say it again. **

**Also, we know nothing about science, so this specimen would never exist, but pretend, okay?**

**AND REVIEW. **

The walls were closing in on her. She had heard that trite expression all her life, and had never understood what it meant until now. It was ironic, that only after getting out of the room she had been locked in did she really feel trapped.

In the mind's eye of Callie Torres, she saw her husband's face, looking at Izzie Stevens like he wanted to save her so badly. Like he would do anything to be her hero. It was a look plagued by the guilt of knowing that if he was going to die, he wanted her to be there with him.

She had never known that look coming from her husband. But Izzie Stevens knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of that look, and for that, Callie was jealous of her. She had free reign of the hospital now. She wasn't trapped by guns and a bomb in some OR. She could walk, she could go anywhere, but Callie still felt trapped.

When she looked at it from all of the angles, it became more and more that she wasn't confined to this hospital, this city. She wasn't even confined to her marriage. She wasn't trapped anywhere. She could leave; pick up, pack her bags and go. She was a good surgeon, she'd be accepted anywhere. If only she could work up the strength to burn the bridge behind her.

The two agents that had put Callie through the tests burst into the conference room, causing everyone to look at them, some with mild annoyance. "Agent Kidman, it's Montcalm." One of the blurted out. "Dr. Torres identified the captor as Henry Montcalm."

Kidman's eyes grew slightly wide, and his partner's brow furrowed. "Montcalm was planning something big." She muttered. "He's a high roller. What the hell is he doing here, playing with doctors?" She started pacing. "Something big…"she muttered to herself, running a hand through her hair. "Something big…"

Kidman watched Wilson pace three steps away from him and then pace the three steps back. It was a little game they always played. To think, she needed to move, but he needed to be still. He frowned. It was true, Montcalm was into something big. Huge even. "What the hell is in that specimen?" he muttered, realizing the answers were in front of him.

Wilson stopped pacing and turned to the doctors seated around the table, her expression menacing. "We've been watching Henry Montcalm for years." She said, in a low, deadly voice. "Watching him for suspected terrorist acts against the United States. But one of you already knows that. Because one of you tipped him off. He's been waiting to find the perfect weapon, because Montcalm won't do it if he's not going to do it big. When he and his cell strike, they want to be sure that the whole world is watching." She paused and surveyed them, interrogating them with her eyes, searching for weakness, searching for guilt.

"One of you gave him the perfect weapon, didn't you? Specimen 435. It's deadly, isn't it? Well guess what? The game ends here. Mark my words, we will find out which one of you is trying to help him destroy this country. The game will end."

* * *

They had lapsed back into silence inside the OR. It wasn't the tense silence that had left the room charged and ready to implode before. It was a comfortable silence, a silence that gave them a sense of camaraderie. They were in this together. Izzie still hated the silence.

"What were you thinking?" she asked Meredith. "What were you thinking when you were underwater?" Meredith looked at her, slightly taken aback. They hadn't really ever talked about that day. It was one of those dark days that you didn't discuss, like the day your fiancée dies, the day your baby dies, the day your parent dies. The day your boyfriend has a wife. You don't sit down and chat about days like those.

She cleared her throat. "I guess I was just thinking about all the things I never said to people. I think I was scared that I would never get a chance to say them." She said quietly. Derek wasn't touching her at this point. He didn't want to talk about this day either. Izzie nodded.

"Fine." She said. "Let's do that then. If you could say one thing to one person in the room, what would you say?" she asked, not realizing what a loaded question it was.

* * *

He sat among them, blending in. No one would suspect him, not for a minute. Everything had gone exactly to plan. He had played an instrumental part in the creation of the specimen, but it had been his idea to form the pact not to tell anyone.

As soon as they had all agreed, he had made the call to Henry Montcalm, and had finally, finally, after all of the years of waiting been able to tell him that he had exactly what Montcalm was searching for.

They had created a monster. The monster everyone had been fearing since September eleventh of 2001. The monster, that, if used correctly, could destroy America. Could destroy anything. It was a powerful feeling to know, not only, that you had created such a thing, but that you alone had decided the fate of a nation.

Subtly, he checked his watch. Only seven and a half hours to go. Montcalm would get the specimen either way, they had made sure of that. And soon after, the United States would be at the mercy of Henry Montcalm and his creation. And none of them knew a thing.

Alex nodded at Izzie. "That's a good idea. Reality says we might die in here. If that happens, I'd like to go knowing someone at least knew what I thought."

"Trust me Evil Spawn, I wont care." Cristina quipped. Alex made a face at her, and Burke shushed her. Everyone had fallen quiet, and a somber feeling came over the room.

"I'll even go first." Alex said. "I want to say something to the other interns. All of you. Be one entity for a little while. Shouldn't be too hard." He stopped to collect the thoughts that had been racing in his head the whole time they'd been locked in here.

Alex had told the chief he didn't like this team. He made the blocks and didn't talk to the press because he had to, but it was clear to him that wasn't true. All the patients they had killed or almost killed, all of the disasters that had been thwarted, all the crises that had barely been averted, they all swirled in his head slowly, like a film. They had been through a lot, too much this year, and he couldn't imagine going through any of it without them.

"I'm an ass." He said firmly. "And sometimes I don't like you guys. Sometimes I pretend not to like you guys. But really, I like you guys. We're a team you know? We help each other, we cover for each other. It seemed like a burden for awhile, but now, now it seems like a family or something."

The interns mentally separated themselves from the attendings, each lost in thought. Alex was right; it seemed, about them being a team, a family. They had always been there for each other.

"We always will be." George said finally. "A family. There for each other. Sometimes, we're all that we've got."

As they nodded and smiled at each other, the conference room had grown tense as the doctors were ordered to finally tell them what was in the specimen. Dr. Hunter decided to take responsibility. Maybe it was because she was the lone female, and her maternal instincts kicked in times of crisis. "Specimen 435 was created accidentally." She said quietly, her voice wavering slightly. "It's a complex union of a lot of elements, and to fulfill what then seemed like a patriotic duty, we added something. Now it shows itself for what it was, an egotistical need to be the ones who were the heroes."

Richard rolled his eyes. "I don't have time for your monologue, Sharon." He said. "I just want to know what's-"

She cut him off. "It's a weapon. We added a strand of an unknown virus and it mutated. We tested it on lab rats, they suffocated, and their systems shut down within minutes. It's deadly, and it's in there. If used correctly, it could kill millions in under an hour."

A hush fell over the room.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: Breathe**

**Authors: Sara And Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, mild sex**

**Disclaimer: It would be nice to own grey's anatomy, sadly all we own are a lot of high priced shoes and handbags, and both seasons on dvd.**

**Summary: A month or so after Meredith's near death experience, tragedy strikes Seattle Grace again in the form of a robbery gone wrong. A hostage situation takes place in the OR. Nine lives hang in the balance as they wait to live, die, or just get blown up. **

**Author's Note: Wow. The last time we updated this? Feels like years ago. This particular little story is giving us trouble. Because we have all these things we want to happen, right? But the execution of them is hard. Because we want it to be in character, believable, etc. So bear with us. **

**Anyway, we kind of hate this. And we know its super short. Will try to update soon though. **

**AND REVIEW. **

_Love is a losing game, one I wish I'd never played. _

It was interesting to Burke, this group of interns. Karev had summed them up well; a family. They fought, and they made mistakes and they hurt each other, but in the end, they went through each day knowing that the other four would always be there, no matter what.

He was in awe, and slightly envious. He had his parents, his friends, and he had Cristina, but there was a bond they shared that he didn't have anywhere. A bond that can only be established after you've been through enough together.

He looked down at his hands, the hand he had almost lost. Preston Burke's hands. They saved lives, they made millions. They defined him, or so he thought. "I'll go." He said quietly. He smiled when he felt Cristina tense beside him. "I am a surgeon." He said his tone still hushed. "I believe in medicine with a conviction so strong it scares me. I thought I was defined by my hands. I thought they made me who I was, but who I am is so much more than that." He paused and looked at Cristina.

"You're not like anyone I've ever met. You're certainly not like anyone I imagine I would marry. I imagined marrying someone warm, outwardly friendly and openly compassionate, and you are none of those things." He told her, speaking so everyone could hear, but talking only to her. She was watching him, her eyes bright with an emotion no one could quite put their finger on.

"My world has always been how I pictured it. That was comfortable for me, for my family. But you are my family now. Sometimes, when I'm so frustrated with you that I can't think, I ask myself if this is ever going to work. But I don't allow myself to hope. I'm not hopeful Cristina, I am sure. I am sure that this will work, that this will last. I am sure that I will always love you."

It was silent in the OR. The expression on Cristina's face changed several times until she finally looked back into the eyes of her fiancée. "Okay." She said. "Thank you."

* * *

He enjoyed watching the looks of panic set in on all of their faces. He made sure that his face mirrored their own, so as not to draw suspicions, but inside, he was enjoying himself. He reveled in their horror, their obvious dismay, and their guilt.

Kidman and Wilson exchanged a glance. They had been preparing for this throughout their careers, the big moment where one mistake could lead to the fall of a nation. Kidman drew in a breath, summoning all the knowledge she had and all the strength she could muster. She nodded to the Seattle police chief. "Make the call." She said decisively, not allowing any of her fear into her voice.

Wilson turned to the chief. "We're going to call in our team." He said. "We'll try to negotiate with Montcalm for the return of your hostages, but if that doesn't work, we'll have to be more forceful." Richard nodded, trying to remain calm on the outside, despite being anything but on the inside.

Richard turned to Bailey and whispered in her ear. "We need to make contact with that OR. I want to hear from one of my doctors that everyone is okay. Call someone." He told her. Bailey reached into her pocket and dialed Addison.

"Miranda?" she head chime through the airwaves. Bailey looked around the room. The police were interviewing the research team while the national security agents shouted orders into cell phones.

"Addison." She said, relieved. "Are you all okay?"

Addison took a deep breath. "Yeah, we're fine for now. He let us keep our phones. Since, you know, we're stuck. What's going on, Miranda? Be straight with me."

Bailey closed her eyes, trying to compose herself, trying to make sense of all that was happening. "National security is here. The man who took you hostage is a terrorist, and the specimen he's after could be used as a weapon." She said, struggling to keep her voice even. Addison too was trying to stay calm.

"Okay." She said. "Okay. Call me if you know anything new." She said, disconnecting. Bailey looked at the chief and nodded.

"For now, they're all fine." She reported, scraping deep down inside of her for courage, for something that would help her get through this and stay strong for her interns and her friends.

Addison slipped her phone back into the pocket of her scrubs and looked up. "It was Bailey." She told them, even though they knew that already. "Apparently, the guy who forced us here is uh, a terrorist." She said quietly. It was silent as they turned this over in their minds. Meredith felt Derek stiffen a little. Remembering he had been living in New York when the towers came down, she squeezed his hand.

No one spoke until Derek cleared his throat. "If I could say one thing to anyone in this room, I would say that I'm sorry." He said. Addison straightened up a little, allowing herself to think for just one minute that he might be talking to her. "I've done so many things to hurt you." Derek said. "And all I want to do is take them all back.

Derek looked down at Meredith, who was still nestled in his arms, with an adoration that annoyed Addison. "I'm sorry for everything I put you through." He whispered, talking right to her now. I know it was a lot. But you lived. You shouldn't have lived, but you lived. And that's a sign that even though I've screwed this all up, we're going to make it."

Addison's head shot up. "So we get one thing? Fine. I'm angry. I'm still hurt and I'm still angry. You never loved me like you love her." She said, fiddling with the hem of her navy scrub top, not looking at anyone. "You look at her and you see forever, and you never looked at me that way. I'm angry and I want to know why. If you didn't see forever why put me through it Derek?" she asked, her words coming out quickly.

Derek looked down uncomfortably, and Addison pulled her knees back up to her chest and stared ahead of her. And again, no one said a word.

* * *

Ten o'clock. Three long hours had passed since she had walked away from the danger of that OR. Four hour left before her husband and her colleagues were blown to pieces. And he hadn't loved her enough to want her with him at the end.

Darkness. It covered the outside, blanketed Seattle with its secrets. Callie had never minded night time, but tonight it choked her. It shrunk the city to an unbearable size and locked her in. She was a prisoner, doomed to never be anything but second best. It was more than she could bear. She heard footsteps in the hallway.

"How are you holding up Torres?" Bailey asked as she sat down next to her. Callie only shrugged. Miranda nodded. "It's a difficult night, and it's only going to get worse. But don't lose hope, Callie." Bailey told her.

Callie stood up and faced her, shaking her head wildly. "I can't." she proclaimed. "I can't. I'm not strong enough Bailey. I can't."

Bailey gave her a stern look. "You can and you will. You will wait here until George O'Malley gets off the elevator, because he will. They all will." Bailey promised with a conviction she didn't truly believe herself.

Callie shook her head. "That's not what I mean. I can't be Callie O'Malley. I can't be second best. It's not enough. I need to get out." Somehow, saying it out loud made it very real, and very tangible. Her freedom was so close all she had to do was take that final step to grasp it.

That's when she found herself walking. One step, then another. "Tell George I'm sorry." She said to Bailey. It was her last sentence, her last conscious thought before she broke into a run. She ran outside the doors of Seattle Grace. In a frantic state, she turned on her car and went to the hotel; loading all of her things into the backseat and trunk of the car.

And then she drove out of the city. As the skyline faded in her rearview mirror, she finally felt free.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: Breathe**

**Authors: Sara And Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, mild sex**

**Disclaimer: It would be nice to own grey's anatomy, sadly all we own are a lot of high priced shoes and handbags, and both seasons on dvd.**

**Summary: A month or so after Meredith's near death experience, tragedy strikes Seattle Grace again in the form of a robbery gone wrong. A hostage situation takes place in the OR. Nine lives hang in the balance as they wait to live, die, or just get blown up. **

**Author's Note: Wow. The last time we updated this? Feels like years ago. This particular little story is giving us trouble. Because we have all these things we want to happen, right? But the execution of them is hard. Because we want it to be in character, believable, etc. So bear with us. **

**AND REVIEW. **

_I'm feeling like I might need to be near you. _

"I should say that I'm sorry." Meredith blurted out, breaking the silence in the OR. Izzie had set her up for the one thing she didn't want to say. But she thought hard until she had transported herself back in time. Back to standing, virtually alone in the cold OR, with nothing but the hard metal of a bomb against her fingertips, desperate for one last chance to see Derek.

She forced herself to go back to those agonizing moments in the water, each movement stinging, aching, each gasping, sputtering breath causing a sharp pain around her ribs, each moment of blackness wishing he was there to hold on to. Those times she had eluded death.

She brought herself back to the present, to another situation that was ridiculous enough to be laughable if she wasn't living in it. This time, she decided, she was going to take the chance to say what needed to be said.

"I really should apologize. But if I only get one thing, it's that we're forever." Meredith said, looking at Derek. "This is big. This is it for me. The end of the line. And it's forever."

She cleared her throat. "I'm not good with this. And I know me and the near death whatever are getting a little melodramatic, but I swear, every time, all I could think of was you. I'm done looking, Derek. You're it." She had felt this way before. A frozen moment in time, shared only between the two of them. The OR, the bomb, the friends, the colleagues. They all faded away gently, until all Meredith could see was the person sitting next to her.

The look in Derek's eyes as he gazed down at her was the absolution she needed. Her past sins slipped away, and as she gazed back, so did his. Suddenly, in that moment, in that OR, it didn't matter that he hid a wife from her, or that she had lost the will to swim. All that mattered was that they made it out of that OR. Together.

* * *

Agent Wilson bit his lip and turned to Kidman. "How'd we miss this?" he exclaimed angrily.

"Fuck if I know." She replied bitterly. She owed this hospital for unscrambling her brain after that ferry crash. "Ry, what are we going to do?" she murmured, a moment of desperate vulnerability breaking through her usually hard exterior.

He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We need negotiators. Now. We need to talk to Montcalm and his people."

"Right. But what are _we_ going to do?"

Ryan Wilson looked through the open blinds of the conference room and shook his head. "It's one of them Dianna." He said. "It's one of those scientists. The missing link is in that room."

She looked in at them, her eyes traveling from person to person, searching for the telltale sign. The roaming eyes. The shakiness. The sweaty palms. She didn't see any outwards signs of weakness or guilt, but give her fifteen minutes… "That's it." She said. "We take them all into custody until someone talks. Even if the one who tipped off Montcalm won't crack, there could be someone else who knows something. We interrogate them all, and one of them will crack."

With that, she turned on her heel and strode through the doors of the conference room. "You." She said, pointing to the nearest person. "Come with me. The rest of you can cooperate with Agent Kidman. You're all under house arrest until this matter clears itself."

"You can't do that!" Dr. Barbon snapped, rising to his full height. All six feet of him stared down Agent Wilson. At five feet and four inches, she should have been intimidated, but she rolled her eyes. "I know my rights." Said Barbon indignantly.

Wilson snorted. "You haven't read the news since 9/11, have you? I'm invoking an article of legislation that says yes, I can do whatever the hell I want."

* * *

She had finally said everything he had needed to hear. The forgiveness, the apology, the declaration of love. It was all there, and she had said it to him. Derek should have felt light and happy in this moment; this moment of finally knowing the worst was behind them. They were finally going to be okay.

But the euphoria was brief, nothing but a delicious burst soon clouded by their dire reality. Terror seized him again, this time accompanied by a burst of something primal. The need to protect Meredith. The need for them both to leave the OR safely. The need to experience the happy ever after.

"Fuck it." He heard; a mutter from down the wall of the OR. Cristina was fiddling with her hands, and looking like she was about to say something. "I want to get married." She blurted out.

"I want to marry you. But there will be times when you think I don't want to. You'll think I'm freaking out or backing out, but I won't. Actually, I'll probably freak out. But I'm not backing out. So don't give up on me, okay? I'll make it down the aisle."

Meredith smiled to herself. "Yang, if you have all those girly feelings, does that mean you also actually have a vagina?" Alex asked.

There was a moment of silence. Then Izzie snickered, and George started coughing a very loud and obvious cough. "I swear to fucking God, Alex. When we get out of here, I'm going to cut your balls off with a ten blade." Cristina snapped. Meredith burst out laughing.

"Why would you want to get anywhere near Alex's _balls_?" she asked incredulously. "No offense, Iz."

Izzie's shoulders were shaking with barely contained laughter as she held up a hand. Alex grinned devilishly. "Are you threatening my balls because I called yours a vagina?" he asked Cristina.

"Seriously?" she snapped. "I will drop my drawers if you need a visual, Evil Spawn."

Meredith, George and Izzie collapsed into another fit of laughter, and as Meredith threw her head back, a glint of light reflecting off the windows of the gallery caught her eye.

"That's it." She said slowly. "That's how we're getting out of here."


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: Breathe**

**Authors: Sara And Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, mild sex**

**Disclaimer: It would be nice to own grey's anatomy, sadly all we own are a lot of high priced shoes and handbags, and both seasons on dvd.**

**Summary: A month or so after Meredith's near death experience, tragedy strikes Seattle Grace again in the form of a robbery gone wrong. A hostage situation takes place in the OR. Nine lives hang in the balance as they wait to live, die, or just get blown up. **

**Author's Note: Wow. The last time we updated this? Feels like years ago. This particular little story is giving us trouble. Because we have all these things we want to happen, right? But the execution of them is hard. Because we want it to be in character, believable, etc. So bear with us. **

**AND REVIEW. **

_There's no going back on the plans we've made._

He was being interviewed by the woman. She was pretty. Strawberry blonde hair, wide green eyes and freckled skin. She was flawless in her interview. She shut the door to the dimly lit linen closet the hospital had supplied to serve as an interrogation room. She moved in the way that showed off the gun sitting in its holster at her waist. She was intimidating, frightening and breathtaking. But she had no effect on him at all.

So set in his convictions he was that not even this though as nails federal agent could frighten him. He had everything planned out. And now, no one could stop them. Montcalm assured him that everything would go according to plan.

Wilson sat down and smiled prettily, throwing him off. "Hello, doctor." She greeted him. "I'm Agent Wilson, but if you have any questions, feel free to call me Dianna." She smiled again. "So, how did you make your way onto this committee?" she asked cheerily, sounding more like an over enthusiastic reporter than a national security agent.

"We've been researching together for a decade and a half." He answered, wincing at how tentative his voice sounded. The doctor steeled himself. She was playing him. She was doing this to everyone. The only reason he noticed is because he was guilty.

"And specimen 435?"

"Was an accident." He said smoothly. "Your government came to us. They wanted something. A small scale, powerful agent. Pump it into caves. That sort of thing."

Wilson nodded. "But 435 isn't small scale."

"That part was the accident." He said, attempting to look remorseful.

Wilson nodded, shifting her demeanor. She leaned forward, her eyes bright and interesting. "It's amazing that you can create something so powerful." She breathed in awe. He smiled to himself. It was amazing.

Agent Wilson felt a twinge in her gut as the expression flitted across his face. A tiny alarm bell went off inside of her. She was an expert at reading people, and there were volumes in the expression she had just seen. As quickly as she had been awestruck and impressed, she became cold.

"Have you ever heard of Henry Montcalm?" she asked briskly.

He fidgeted ever so slightly. She sounded so angry now, and he knew one wrong move and she would be able to read it all in his face. He shook his head no.

Wilson raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips. "That's good for you." She said shaking her head. "Because Montcalm duped one of you. My guess is that he promised someone he had it all figured out. He would go in, get the specimen, get out with the one who he was working with and catapult them to eternal glory."

He suppressed a grin. That is exactly what Montcalm was making happen right now. Agent Wilson smirked. "I'll let you in on a little secret." She said, leaning across the table, before getting up to pace back and forth in front of him. "Montcalm's a liar." She said. "He's not an idiot. He knows this place is surrounded. He knows it is. Seattle PD. National security. Counter Terror. His chances of making it out of here alive are slim to none. His chances of nabbing a doctor under house arrest and making it out alive? Zero."

"Montcalm knows he's probably going to get caught." She continues. "He's not going to give up the names of any of his superiors. Or anyone in his organization. But he's going to give up the doctor. So you tell your colleagues. Come forward. Before he does." She said, flashing him one more smile, before walking out the door and slamming it behind her, leaving him there, cold sweat racing down his back, in a panic.

* * *

Meredith was excited. Her heart was pumping fast and adrenaline coursed through her body. And she was excited. It was a long shot, but it was going to work. She could feel it. They were going to get out of this. She opened her mouth to explain, but the door to the OR slid open.

Meredith felt Derek's hand close around her wrist. She looked over and saw, leaning against the wall, legs out straight in front of him. Addison's legs too, were out straight in front of her, but she kept them a noticeable distance from Derek's legs. Meredith would have laughed at it under any other circumstance.

Montcalm came in, accompanied by two men with large guns. He stood before them, looking down at the doctors with an almost pained expression on his face. "Your time is half over, doctors." He said with a sneer. "Five hours have passed and no one has done anything to try and save you. You have five hours left." He said, a muscle in his face twitching in agitation.

"Do you wish to die? Is that why you have done nothing?" He demanded. "You have the ability to persuade your chief to give me what I want. You have the ability to try and save yourselves. But you Americans. You think because you have agencies and law enforcement, you think that will save you."

Derek pulled Meredith closer to him without attracting Montcalm's attention. Caught up in his rant, he didn't notice that they were all huddling closer together. Derek had drawn his legs to his knees, and positioned them slightly in front of Meredith, as if to shield her.

Mark had Addison's hand tightly in his. Burke and Cristina were sitting side by side so close they were almost on top of each other and Izzie was sandwiched between George and Alex.

Montcalm began to pace erratically. "Perhaps I have been too kind to you." He said again. "But rest assured," he shouted, his voice rising, "That in five hours, that kindness will end!" He walked behind the OR table and pushed it over, towards them. With a sickening crunch, it hit Addison's outstretched legs.

As they huddled around her, Montcalm moved towards the OR doors. "You know," Mark shouted. "We know this hospital better than you. We know there's more than one way to leave an OR."

Montcalm didn't disappoint. He gave Mark exactly the response he was looking for. He turned to his guards and narrowed his eyes. "Tell the others. If you hear a disturbance anywhere else on this floor, leave one man at these doors, and the rest follow them." He said pointing at the floor.

Mark locked eyes with Meredith and slid his gaze to the window. She gave a slight nod as Montcalm left through the sliding doors. Mark nodded back as he turned his attention back to Addison. That was exactly the response he had been hoping for.


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: Breathe**

**Authors: Sara And Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, mild sex**

**Disclaimer: It would be nice to own grey's anatomy, sadly all we own are a lot of high priced shoes and handbags, and both seasons on dvd.**

**Summary: A month or so after Meredith's near death experience, tragedy strikes Seattle Grace again in the form of a robbery gone wrong. A hostage situation takes place in the OR. Nine lives hang in the balance as they wait to live, die, or just get blown up. **

**Author's Note: Wow. The last time we updated this? Feels like years ago. This particular little story is giving us trouble. Because we have all these things we want to happen, right? But the execution of them is hard. Because we want it to be in character, believable, etc. So bear with us. **

**AND REVIEW. **

_I never learned nothing from playing it safe,  
I say fate should not tempt me. _

Her porcelain cheeks were paler than usual, and her normally gracefully composed face was scrunched in pain. Addison looked unlike herself at that moment. The pain in her leg was unbearable. There was blood seeping from a deep gash left by the edge of the table, accompanied by a deeper pain, a pain she feared was coming from a broken bone.

They rallied together and crowded around her. Derek, Alex and George knelt protectively by her side. Izzie was pulling Addison's hair away from her face, Burke and Cristina were checking her vitals, and Mark was clutching her hands, their fingers intertwined. Only one person was missing.

Meredith had left the clump surrounding Addison and strode angrily to the sliding OR doors. She waited for them to open, and faced the man who stood there, dressed in black, his large gun cradled in his arms. "You need to let me through." She demanded. He laughed at her and pointed the gun point blank at her chest. "I'll go back in." she said, angrily, "But she's hurt. I need to set her leg. Someone needs to stop the bleeding!" she shouted.

Her voice rose steadily in anger and attracted the attention of the others. It would have been laughable, the 105 pounds of Meredith standing off against this huge man with his huge gun. "What is wrong with you?" she shouted. "Can't you see she needs help?" She took a step towards the door to move past him. Derek sprang into motion as the masked man cocked his gun, and tackled Meredith to the floor. The shot fired into the opposite wall of the OR. The door slid shut and the man outside; satisfied that no one was coming back, leaned against it, flashing a taunting grin through the opening in his mask.

Meredith struggled under Derek, like she was preparing to lunge back and try to take him out, but Derek's eyes were fixed on the bullet hole in the wall, the wall that could have been Meredith's chest. She got to her feet angrily, pulling off her scrub top. Her pale gray shirt she wore underneath contrasted her flushed cheeks. She knelt by Addison's legs and used her top to stop the bleeding. Feeling around, she winced. "I think it's broken." She whispered.

Through her gritted teeth and pain, Addison eyed her. Meredith shrugged. "I've been with Callie lately." She said.

"Thank you." Addison whispered to her. "For helping."

Meredith shrugged again. "I tried." She said. "I mean, we can, you would have…"

"I would have done the same for you." Addison said, nodding. She shifted her weight and gripped Mark hands tightly, grimacing in pain. Meredith felt a surge of anger.

"We have to get out of here." She said.

"Wait." Mark said. "I get one thing, right?" he looked around. "One thing to say. Well here it is. This is ridiculous Addie. I haven't been serious about anything my whole life. Even medicine. I went into plastics, not brain surgery. And he was always the better guy." Mark said, looking at Derek. "And he got the one thing I've ever been serious about. I love you Addison. I've never loved anyone in my whole life but you. I don't want to wait sixty days or twenty three more days. I don't want to waste another minute."

He stopped talking, realizing that she had let go of his hand. The confidence that he had spoken with faltered and he looked down. "I just thought you might want to know." He said softly. "That for once in my life, I'm serious."

Addison said nothing, just placed her hand over his heart, and smiled through the tears shining in her eyes. Mark knew they had a lot to talk about. But that was enough for now.

He looked back up, with a fierce determination in his eyes. Meredith caught his glance and nodded. Derek looked curiously back and forth between the two of them, and Meredith turned to him. "Trust me." She whispered, squeezing his hands. He looked at her and nodded slowly. She cupped his cheeks with her palms and took a deep breath.

"I have an idea." She said, dropping her hands. "The window of the gallery is breakable. If we could somehow reach it…." She trailed off.

"We're supposed to climb out the window?" George asked nervously, looking at Addison.

"It's a diversion." Burke said, realizing it. "They hear the glass break, they think we're trying to escape."

Meredith nodded excitedly. "And they'll all go running."

"We need one man to separate that one from his gun." Mark said pointing discreetly towards the door. "Two guys to lift someone up to break the glass. Someone to watch the other OR for people coming through. Someone to stay with Addison, and someone to take the bullets out of the gun." He said very fast.

"And we'll have two minutes to do it." Meredith concluded. They all turned to stare at her. "If we do it now, they'll catch us. We need to wait right before the bomb goes off. Once we get the guard outside the door separated from his gun, we run. By that time, they should all be on their way to the gallery. Our only chance is to run to the stairs and hope in the confusion of the explosion that we make it."

Looks of comprehension and apprehension flitted across their faces. "It's a long shot." Izzie said.

"It's our only shot." Addison responded softly.

"Yea." Alex said. "And I'm starving."

Izzie fidgeted. "And I really have to pee."

Meredith looked up. "I'm going to break the glass." She said. "If Mark and Alex stand on the OR table, I should be able to reach it."

"No." Derek said. "If you can't get down in time, they'll shoot you."

"I'm taller." Izzie said.

"I'm the lightest girl." Meredith responded. "I'm not fragile, and I'm not breaking. I'm going to do this."

"So we'll lift you." Mark said. "Cristina and Izzie monitor Dr. Montgomery's vitals. Make sure the stress doesn't send her into shock. O'Malley, stand by the table, like you're going to climb up, but watch OR 4, make sure no one's pointing a gun through that glass."

Derek looked at Burke. "I'm going to tackle him." He said, referring to the lone guard outside the OR doors. "Get to gun, and take the bullets out." Burke nodded solemnly.

"Now what?" Izzie questioned.

"Now we wait."


	10. Chapter 10

**Title: Breathe**

**Authors: Sara And Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, mild sex**

**Disclaimer: It would be nice to own grey's anatomy, sadly all we own are a lot of high priced shoes and handbags, and both seasons on dvd.**

**Summary: A month or so after Meredith's near death experience, tragedy strikes Seattle Grace again in the form of a robbery gone wrong. A hostage situation takes place in the OR. Nine lives hang in the balance as they wait to live, die, or just get blown up. **

**Author's Note: New update. Sorry about the delay. We didn't know how to proceed. **

**REVIEW. **

_I won't let this get me, I will fight._

Throughout his life, Preston Burke had it together. He was cool under pressure, he was brilliant, and he was collected. That night, in the OR, he made a choice. If they were going to try it, to try and escape, they couldn't have anyone doing anything that might get them blown up before they had a chance to at least try.

This is why Preston Burke made the call no one seemed willing to make. His cell phone was steady in his hands as he listened to Bailey's phone ring. Everyone was watching him, and the room had lapsed into a silence so eerie they could barely hear one another breathe.

"Dr. Burke." Bailey said as she picked up.

"Dr. Bailey." He said smoothly. "How is everything out there?"

"Preston Burke, for once in your life, you don't have to be so damn smooth." She scolded him. "Is everyone all right?"

"He came in and threatened us." Burke said calmly. "Addison sustained an injury to her leg, but she's stable for the time being. His behavior is escalating Miranda." On the other side of the phone, he could hear her suck in a sharp breath. It was something she did without thinking, something to channel her worry and her fear into an action.

Before she could say anything Burke continued. "I want you to tell the police officers not to do anything to try and rescue us." He said.

"Burke, don't you dare. Don't you dare give up now." She said, in as stern of a tone as she would use if one of her interns were complaining about their assignment.

Burke smiled. "We're not close to giving up." He assured her. "We have a plan, but it will have to be at the last minute, and we can't risk them triggering the explosive before we get a chance to enact it."

"You have a plan?" Bailey repeated, her tone changing to mystified.

"We have a plan." Burke confirmed. "I can't elaborate, but I feel it is our best shot."

"Preston," she barked, using the name no one called him, "You are a surgeon, not a cop. You are not trained for these kinds of situations. You have no experience; you are not Ethan Hunt or James Bond. You don't have a clue what your best shot is!"

"Miranda, I have a gut that I have relied on all my life. Those instincts tell me that this is our best shot. And those instincts are rarely wrong."

There was silence on both ends of the phone line. Bailey thought about them. The interns and the attendings that weaved the tangled web the nurses loved to gossip about. They were dysfunctional as all hell, but if she knew one thing, it was to let them trust their instincts.

"I'll tell them." She conceded finally.

"Thank you Miranda." Burke said. "See you in two hours."

* * *

Bailey hung up the phone, feeling a sense of immense pride. Months ago, she had told them to sing the papers for her free clinic because she didn't believe in them anymore. Now, she felt her faith restored. She saw them once again, as the strong people she knew they were. She felt a swell of pride, imagining her interns rising to the occasion. She locked eyes with the chief and nodded.

Richard ushered Agents Wilson and Kidman out of the room, reading Miranda's glance deeply enough to know that this was not a conversation for anyone else to overhear.

"Is everyone okay?" Wilson asked.

Bailey nodded. "Dr. Montgomery was injured when this Montcalm person came into the OR, but she's stable."

"Damn it." Kidman muttered. "He's escalating. He's panicked. We need to move now."

"No." Bailey said. They looked at her like she had pulled a gun on them and revealed that she was the mastermind of the plot. "They have an idea, something that they think is their best shot."

"With all due respect, Dr. Bailey," Agent Kidman began, "They wouldn't know their best shot if it hit them in the face."

"I think we should trust their instincts." Richard said.

"Their instincts," Wilson said, making air quotes around the word, "Are going to get them killed!"

"You obviously no nothing about these people." Bailey said. "To you they're just doctors. Arrogant surgeons with God complexes, and believe me, they are. But they are people. They are human. They love and feel and protect."

"They don't know how to protect themselves from this." Wilson said.

"Mark Sloan has waited fifteen years for a chance with Addison Montgomery." Bailey said suddenly. "He's not giving up now. And Preston Burke is marrying Cristina Yang, no easy feat. And Derek Shepherd? He almost drowned pulling that girl out of Puget Sound, and he'd be damned if he didn't give his life to keep her from getting a scratch on her tiny little body." Bailey said.

She looked the agents in the eyes and glared. "So you tell me again that their instincts to protect the people they love are less than yours."

Kidman and Wilson exchanged glances. Wilson shook her head at Kidman, but he reached out and lightly touched her elbow. "What can we do?" he asked her in a low voice.

Her eyes flashed, but showed she had no answer. "We'll give them time." He said. "We'll do everything we can without interfering."

Wilson lifted her eyes from the floor. "You should both pray for them." She said softly.


	11. Chapter 11

**Title: Breathe**

**Authors: Sara And Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, mild sex**

**Disclaimer: It would be nice to own grey's anatomy, sadly all we own are a lot of high priced shoes and handbags, and both seasons on dvd.**

**Summary: A month or so after Meredith's near death experience, tragedy strikes Seattle Grace again in the form of a robbery gone wrong. A hostage situation takes place in the OR. Nine lives hang in the balance as they wait to live, die, or just get blown up. **

**Author's Note: New update. Sorry about the delay. Our landlord didn't install our DSL line until yesterday. Expect lots of updates. :)**

**This is kind of filler. We're just going over everyone's last few mintues before the big escape. Enjoy.**

**REVIEW. **

_It's so clear now that you are all that I have. _

"Twenty minutes." Mark murmured, looking at the clock. His eyes traveled around the room. He watched Izzie, still in between George and Alex. The three of them looked like they did every day, Mark decided. Bickering, teasing, poking fun at each other.

His head turned to his other side and looked at Cristina and Burke. She was settled back against his side, with his arm around her; the closest Mark had ever seen them. They were speaking solemnly, in hushed tones.

Derek was leaning down, his forehead against Meredith's. She was saying something to him, something Mark gathered was important, because his hands were gripping both of hers so tightly his knuckles were whitening.

Finally, he looked down at his own hand, the one intertwined with Addison's. A sigh escaped his lips. Derek met his eyes as he lifted his head and pulled Meredith to his chest. Mark smiled at him, and for the first time in over a year, a genuine grin was returned to him. Derek nodded as he smiled at his best friend and reached over with one fist. Mark knocked his fist into it, something they had done in college, feeling lighter than he had in months.

Mark didn't think about things like destiny or fate, but a feeling settled in his chest as he sat there, preparing to live or die. This Seattle Grace, thing, this family. He wanted in on it. He wanted to build a life here, a real one, not just lurk on the outside. Getting out of this alive meant getting a chance with Addison, meant rebuilding a friendship with Derek. He and Addison could move out of that miserable hotel, into a house. He could already see them together, hosting dinners with friends. In his vision, those friends were Derek and Meredith.

Mark tightened his grip on his Addison's hand, and steeled himself. He felt a rush of adrenaline course through his bloodstream. Addison looked up at him, her eyes saying everything she wasn't. He leaned down and whispered into her ear. "I love you."

* * *

Meredith's face was grim, her mouth set in a thin line. Worry was etched all over Derek's face. He shook her a little, and she turned to face him. Pressing his forehead against hers, he looked right into her eyes, sending a shiver down her spine. She always felt like he was the one person who could see through her, right into her soul. 

"You don't have to do this." He murmured.

"Yes." She whispered, "Yes I do."

"I don't want you to. It's so dangerous Mer. Seconds, that's all it will take for you to…" he trailed off.

"I'll fight like hell." She promised him. "It won't be like last time. I'll fight like hell to stay here, with you." Derek's hands found hers and gripped them tightly.

"Promise?" he asked tentatively.

"I promise." She said without hesitation. Derek lifted his head and pulled her close to him, his eyes catching Mark's as he moved. Mark smiled at him, and Derek could finally smile back. It was in that moment he could finally let go of his anger and his grudge. It really didn't seem to matter anymore. Derek held out his fist, and Mark bumped it in the immature fashion they mastered in college.

* * *

"You don't want to get married at city hall." Cristina said to Burke quietly. 

"No, I don't. I want my parents to be there. Our friends and families."

"Okay." She said.

"Okay?" he questioned.

"I think you might be right. I mean it's a wedding right? It's not a surgery. So let's do it your way."

"Cristina, are you sure?" Burke asked. In the back of his mind, he was aware this was a very odd time to be having the conversation they were having.

"Yes." She said. "If we don't get shot or blown up, we might as well go all out for the nuptials."

Burke smiled and placed a kiss to her temple. "That's my girl." He said.

* * *

"Are you guys bored?" George asked. "I'm getting bored." Izzie looked at him, torn between affection and irritation, which could sum up her whole relationship with George. 

"George." She said, "We're about to engage in a fight for our lives."

"It's actually some pretty cool shit." Alex said nonchalantly. "Like the Matrix or something." Izzie and George exchanged a look, and Izzie rolled her eyes.

"Look at Meredith and McDreamy." Izzie said. "They're actually really disgustingly in love. I mean I know they're soul mates, but it's not a Bronte novel."

"A who?" Alex asked. Izzie shot him another look.

"The Bronte sisters? Wrote classic Victorian literature? Jane Eyre? Wuthering Heights? Ringing any bells?"

"Not really."

"I guess that's what happens when they give people wrestling scholarships."

"Shut it Dr. Model."

"I'm hungry." George piped in. Izzie shook her head at them, and fought the urge to laugh.


	12. Chapter 12

**Title: Breathe**

**Authors: Sara And Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, mild sex**

**Disclaimer: It would be nice to own grey's anatomy, sadly all we own are a lot of high priced shoes and handbags, and both seasons on dvd.**

**Summary: A month or so after Meredith's near death experience, tragedy strikes Seattle Grace again in the form of a robbery gone wrong. A hostage situation takes place in the OR. Nine lives hang in the balance as they wait to live, die, or just get blown up. **

**Author's Note: Here it is. Without further ado, the great escape. **

**REVIEW. **

_It's do or die,  
__No taking sides anymore._

She was clutching a scalpel in her palm. It was a ridiculous notion, that she would shatter the window with a scalpel, but Derek had insisted. Meredith secretly felt that having her hand cut by glass was the least of her problems, but she kept those thoughts to herself. Her legs burned from crouching on the OR table, but everyone had to be ready. When Meredith turned to see if everyone was in position, she felt eight pairs of eyes meeting her gaze.

They looked at each other, knowing this was it, that if they made it out alive, everything would be different. They could emerge from this room, not as mere colleagues, but as friends, bonded in a new way. The timer clicked down a few more seconds.

"Here goes nothing." Mark said.

Derek stepped close enough to the sliding doors to cause them to open. The gun swung toward him, but he plunged the ten blade in his hand into the gun man's arm. Derek twisted the blade, and as he hoped, the gun clattered to the floor as it's owner scrambled to remove the metal from his arm.

Derek kicked to gun across the floor and Burke pounced on it. He removed the bullets and pocketed them. The sound of shattering glass made Derek's head snap towards Meredith, and in the second he watched her, he was on the floor. Separated from his weapon, the guard had knocked Derek's feet out from under him, and lying on the floor, he could feel the guard's booted foot connect with his sides.

Meredith counted until she could see eleven masked men. "Go!" she shouted. She was on the ground in seconds. The room burst into a flurry of gunfire as the men in the gallery started shooting down, raining bullets into the OR.

Burke and Cristina fled the OR, followed closely by Mark who had scooped Addison into his arms as if she was weightless. Meredith's eyes landed on Derek at exactly the same time as Alex. She looked at the timer and paled, but Alex charged at Derek's attacker, tackling him to the floor and knocking him out with a few well placed blows.

Meredith rushed to Derek's side as he stood shakily. George and Izzie, hands clasped together, were waiting just outside the OR. Alex joined them and the three of them looked at Meredith. "Go!" she shouted. "Get downstairs!"

"Mer…" Izzie said.

"Just do it!" Meredith yelled. "Run!" She looped her arm around Derek. "Lean on me." She said. "And just keep walking." Halfway down the hall, she knew they'd never make it to the stairs in time. Seeing her only option, she opened the door to a linen closet and practically shoved Derek inside.

"Get down." She told him. She knocked the shelves to the floor, creating a little fort around them.

"Meredith, get out of here." Derek said urgently. "Run. You need to run. You can make it to the stairs."

She dropped to her knees in front of him and cupped his cheeks with her hands. "I am not leaving you here." She said. "I love you Derek Shepherd. And we are forever. Eternal or something. And nothing can change that. Not even death."

It was everything he needed to hear from her. Before he could respond, a blast pierced the eerie silence and instinct took over. He covered her body with his, and whispered that he loved her.

It was the last thing he said before unconsciousness took over.


	13. Chapter 13

**Title: Breathe**

**Authors: Sara And Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, mild sex**

**Disclaimer: It would be nice to own grey's anatomy, sadly all we own are a lot of high priced shoes and handbags, and both seasons on dvd.**

**Summary: A month or so after Meredith's near death experience, tragedy strikes Seattle Grace again in the form of a robbery gone wrong. A hostage situation takes place in the OR. Nine lives hang in the balance as they wait to live, die, or just get blown up. **

**Author's Note: Wow. You guys were AWESOME with reviews last time! Let's see it again. **

**REVIEW. **

_I can cry until I laugh, or laugh until I cry,  
so cut the deck right in half,  
I'll play from either side. _

Meredith's body stirred under Derek's, and her eyes fluttered open. Everything that had taken place over the last ten hours hit her all at once. "Derek!" she said urgently, trying to shake him without causing any more injury. "Der, come on!" She wiggled out from under him and checked for a pulse, finding it steady.

He opened one eye. "Try mouth to mouth." He suggested, sitting up and wincing at the pain in his ribs.

"That was not funny!" Meredith said. She looked around at the linen closet, and the state of wreckage it was in. "Are we dead?" she asked. Derek reached out and pulled her close to him, pressing his lips to hers in a deep kiss.

"Definitely not dead." He said, pulling back. Meredith got up and kicked some partially charred towels out of her way. She helped Derek to his feet and their fingers intertwined on instinct. She stepped over the metal racks that had fallen to the floor, and he followed her lead, marveling at her strength.

She pushed the door open and sucked in a breath. Stumbling to her side, Derek could see the charred wreckage of what used to be the second OR floor. "So now," Meredith said, "The question is how the hell do we get down?"

Derek grinned and pointed to what looked like a smoldering hole in the ceiling. "Care to jump?" he quipped.

* * *

Silence had fallen over the first floor. Seven of them, the seven who made it down, were staring at the stairwell, as if they could will the door to open, and Meredith and Derek would simply stride out.

Seconds passed, and turned into minutes. The only sound they could hear was the fire alarm ringing, and the chaos unfolding around them. Joined by the chief, Bailey and two official looking detectives, the seven of them stood, dumbfounded and breathless. Finally, Izzie sank to the floor.

"We left them." She whispered. "Ten hours and we just left them there." No one knew what to say; there was no excuse nor was there an explanation. George sank down on the floor next to her, and took her hand in his, their fingers intertwining perfectly. At that moment, Cristina realized that they were the only two who hadn't said the one thing they would say to someone in the OR. Something tugged at her, told her this was important, but she couldn't process it amongst thoughts of Meredith.

"They could be okay." Alex said. "They could have…"

Addison wiped a tear from her cheek and, still in Mark's arms, lifted her head from his chest. "Could have what?" she whispered.

The chief stepped forward. "We won't make any assumptions until we've attempted to search for…them." He said. "Addison, you need a doctor. Miranda, page Dr. Torres."

Bailey reached for her pager, and then realized it would do no good. Callie was long gone by now, and paging her would only bring that to light while everyone was still focused on more important matter. She looked at the ground as Addison spoke.

"Richard…" she said. She trailed off, sounding as exhausted as Mark looked. He looked like he could have dropped, but he stood firm, clutching Addison, still holding her, cradled in his arms, like nothing short of death could have gotten him to let go.

"Damn it, Derek, come on." He muttered under his breath.

"She's a fighter." Alex said. "Look at her. Look at all of us."

* * *

Meredith's arm reached out and smacked Derek's shoulder. "Not funny." She said. She turned to him. "How are your battle wounds?" she asked, a small smile playing at her lips.

"I thought it wasn't funny." Derek said, smirking.

Meredith looped her arms around his neck and grinned. "Well, we're alive." She said. "What more do you want?" He leaned down and pressed his lips to her, his tongue slipping expertly into her mouth.

"I could use some sex." He murmured.

She pulled away and regarded him seriously. "Der, this floor is completely unstable. And everyone is probably worried." She tugged at his hand. "Plus, I'm starving." She muttered.

* * *

Mark finally took Addison to get her legs looked at. Burke walked away with the chief to discuss logistics with the Homeland Security officers, and Bailey had gone to assist with relocating patients to other hospitals.

Cristina, Alex, Izzie and George all sat in the hallway, facing the stairs. None of them spoke, but none of them dared to move. Each one of them, in their own way was turning over the fact, that after everything they faced together, as one, it could all end here.

Izzie dropped her head to her knees as tears ran down her face, and George's hand moved to her shoulder and rubbed small circles on her back, slowly and calmly, even though his own hands were shaking. Alex stared straight ahead, stonily, his face completely stoic, and Cristina was going over surgical procedures in her mind, in an effort to ignore what was right in front of her.

She glanced back at the stairwell and blinked, because through the window, pounding at the glass was Meredith. She froze, thinking it was a hallucination of some sort, caused by stress. She searched for a medical condition, not wanting to get everyone's hopes up. Finding nothing, she gasped. "Meredith." She said. She was on her feet in seconds, and she could feel them all rising with her. Feet pounded and they all shouted as they raced for the door.

Alex yanked it open and Meredith and Derek burst out. "Who the hell locked the door?" Derek asked, as Izzie practically jumped on Meredith, throwing her arms around her in an exuberant hug.

"Iz, we're fine."

"Well, good Lord, in Heaven." Bailey said behind them. "You must have nine lives, Grey." She smiled as she watched them; Meredith and her friends, and the way she was grinning up at Derek. "Watch out for that one, Shepherd. She's only got six to go." Derek whispered something in Meredith's ear and she winked at him. Bailey rolled her eyes.

"How's Addison?" Meredith asked.

Bailey nodded. "She's getting her legs checked out right now. Over in exam room 4."

"Is Callie with her?" George asked. Bailey's expression changed and she took a few more steps towards George.

"O'Malley, I'm so sorry. She left."

"She went _home?_" George asked incredulously. Bailey looked down, then back at George.

"George, she's gone. She left Seattle."

A hush fell over them, and once again, George and Izzie's hands connected, but this time it was Izzie who reached for him. "George…" she said.

"Iz?" he asked. "It's okay."

"No, George…."

"Izzie." George said firmly. "It is okay."

She opened her mouth, like she was about to say something else, and then closed it again, as though she thought better of it. Burke appeared, half running around the corner. "I thought I heard… Shepherd? Grey?" He strode over embraced Derek, and clapped Meredith on the shoulder. He looped an arm around Cristina's waist, and they all stood there, smiling absurdly at each other, like they were all seeing one another for the first time.

"Oh my God." Addison said, coming around the corner on her crutches. She and Mark reached them, and the laughter and the noise started again. Addison hugged Derek, and then reached over and grabbed Meredith, pulling her into an embrace.

"I'll be damned, Shep." Mark said, pulling Derek into a hug. He smiled at Meredith, but Derek shook his head.

"Don't even think about it." He said. Mark raised his hands in the air, signifying surrender and backed away from Meredith. "You okay?" he asked Derek.

Derek felt his stomach gingerly. "Just bruises." He confirmed. "Addie?"

"Tiny fracture in the left leg. Should heal by the hospital benefit dinner."

"Well thank God for that." Burke said dryly.

They all stood around, looking at each other, smiling. They were all standing, talking, laughing, breathing.

Mark checked his watch and looked at Alex. "It's almost eight…" he said.

Alex nodded. "Breakfast?" he asked. Izzie and Addison scoffed, but without arguments, the nine of them were heading for the doors. They left the hospital without telling anyone, which would get them in trouble with the security agents later.

The lobby doors slid open to reveal sunny skies, and not a hint of rain. Meredith took a deep breath and squeezed Derek's hand.

They were all breathing, and sometimes, that was all that mattered.

**EPILOUGE COMING!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Title: Breathe**

**Authors: Sara And Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, mild sex**

**Disclaimer: It would be nice to own grey's anatomy, sadly all we own are a lot of high priced shoes and handbags, and both seasons on dvd.**

**Summary: A month or so after Meredith's near death experience, tragedy strikes Seattle Grace again in the form of a robbery gone wrong. A hostage situation takes place in the OR. Nine lives hang in the balance as they wait to live, die, or just get blown up. **

**Author's Note: Here is our epilouge. Sad as we are to end this tale, look for 'Let the Angels Commit', coming soon. **

**REVIEW. **

It was a swingy Dolce and Gabbana number, emerald green, strappy and daringly low cut. It was odd, wearing Addison's dress, but she had insisted, telling Meredith it looked fabulous on her. As they walked into the hospital's fundraising dinner in the Arches ballroom, Meredith found herself with Addison's arms around her.

"You look gorgeous." Addison said, releasing Meredith and linking her arm through Mark's.

"Doesn't she?" Derek murmured in agreement, eyeing her cleavage.

Meredith rolled her eyes at him. "Derek, I'm up here." She said. He grinned at Mark like a fourteen year old, and Meredith and Addison exchanged a look.

Meredith smiled at Addison. "Drink?" she asked. Addison nodded and they strolled to the bar together, looking like old friends. Derek crossed his arms and stepped next to Mark, as they watched their respective women chat and laugh as the bartended made them drinks.

"We're good, right?" Mark asked abruptly. Derek didn't say anything for a long time. Finally, he turned to his oldest friend with a smile on his face.

"Yea, we're good, Mark." He said. They fell silent again, watching as Meredith lifted her left leg to show Addison her heels. "We're lucky men, Mark." He said.

"Can't argue with that, Shep." Mark said. "And to think, we almost…" he trailed off. "There were moments, in the OR, when I could have sworn we were all going to die in there."

Derek nodded solemnly. "Me too." He admitted.

"Hey," Mark said grinning, "We made it. Gotta count for something. Now let's go dance with those women before they start comparing us."

* * *

"I'm wearing a dress." Cristina said to Burke as they made their way to the bar.

"I had noticed." Burke said, smiling. "How's the dress?"

"It's not so bad." Cristina said nonchalantly. "Speaking of dresses, I found one I would like to get married in."

Burke cleared his throat, taken aback and unsure of what to say. Cristina smiled and walked ahead of him. He stood, staring at her in amazement. She rolled her eyes. "Yea, let's go." She urged. "Someone has to stop Meredith and Addison from bonding."

At the same time, Izzie was dancing with Alex, laughing as he playfully mocked their friends. George approached them and tapped on Alex's shoulder. "Can I cut in?" he asked. Alex grinned.

"She's all yours, Bambi." He said as headed off to join Burke and Mark at the bar. Izzie smiled at George as he tentatively placed his arms around her.

"Hear anything back?" she asked gently.

George shook his head, struggling to picture Callie clearly in his mind. "Her phone is out of service now." He said. "She really is just gone."

Izzie shook her head. "I'm so sorry George." He looked at her, his best friend, with her shining eyes and radiant blonde hair and smiled.

"Everything happens for a reason Iz."

The evening progressed, and they sat down for dinner, like it was a wedding or a prom. Derek and Meredith, Addison and Mark, Cristina and Burke, and the trio that was Alex, Izzie and George all sat around a table. Halfway through their salads, Meredith pushed her plate away.

"I'm feeling a little claustrophobic." She announced. "I'm just going to go splash some cold water on my face." She was less than ten feet from the table when Derek stood hastily.

"Patient." He said. "I need to call the hospital. About a patient." He shrugged and jogged up the stairs after her.

At the table, Cristina pushed her plate towards Alex. "That killed my appetite." She said.

"At least you don't have to hear it on a nightly basis." Izzie blurted out. Addison made a face and dropped her fork.

"I'm not hungry either." She said, grimacing.

Meredith waited for Derek outside the Arches, grinning ear to ear as he exited. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, without missing a beat.

"We seem to be lacking in empty exam rooms." She said, giggling as they came up for air.

"And what are we going to do about that Dr. Grey?" he asked playfully. "Because as good as you look in that dress, I'm not waiting until we get home to get you out of it."

Meredith opened the clutch she was holding and pulled his car keys out, dangling them in front of his face, her eyes sparkling.

"Take me for a ride, Derek." She said.


End file.
